Automatic telephone-exchange system



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. I J. SERDINKO.

AU' I'OMATIG'TELEPHONB EXCHANGE SYSTEM. No. 510,195. Patented Dec. 1893.

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(No Model.) 4Sl1eets-Sheet 3. J. SERDINKO. AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE EXCHANGESYSTEM.

No; 510,195. Patented Dec. 5,1893.

WITNESSES.

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4 Sheets--Sheet 4.

(No Mode l.)

J. SERDINKO.

AUTOMATIG TELEPHONE EXGHANGE SYSTEM.

Patented Dec. 5, 1893.

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WITNESSES:

UNrTeo STATES PATENT @rrron.

JOHN SERDINKO, OF NEvV BRAUNFELS, TEXAS.

AUTOMATIC- TELEPHONE-EXCHANGE SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,195, dated December5, 1893.

Applicationfiled April 22, 1893. SerialNn.47l,390. (N model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Beit known that 1, JOHN SERDINKO, of New Braunfels, in the county ofComal and State of Texas, have invented a new and ImprovedTelephone-Exchange System, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

My invention relates to improvements in exchanges for telephone,telegraph and similar systems; and the object of my invention is toproduce a simple system and arrangement which is especially adapted fora telephone exchange, which enables the instru ments to be connected bya single wire, which dispenses with the use of an operator at thecentral station, which has automatic means for registering the messagessent by each subscriber, and which is provided with an automaticswitching device by means of which one subscriber may connect with anyother. i

, To these ends my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combina tions of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the which is used in connection witheach instrument. Fig. 3 is a detail cross section on the line 33 in Fig.2, of the arm moved in sending positive and negative impu ses over theline wire. Fig. 4 is a detail diagrammatic view, partly in section, ofone of the registering and switching devices used in connection with mysystem. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4.Fig. 6 is an outside elevation of the registering device. Fig. 7 is adetail cross section'on the line 77 in Fig.4, and shows the'pawl andratchet device for operatingthe automatic switch. Fig. 8 is adiagrammatic View ofamodified means of sending positive and negativeimpulses, showing how the apparatus may be used in connection with abattery instead of with a mechanical generator. Fig. 9 is a crosssection on the line 9-9 in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a cross section on theline 10-10 in Fig. 8; and

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view of the sepa rable spring terminalswhich are used in connection with the automatic switch.

The generator 10 shown in Fig. 2, is used for sending positive andnegative impulses over the line wire, and in connection with the systemis used a differential or alternating current which is produced in themanner hereinafter described. The generator 10 is provided with arevoluble shaft ll which has a suitable crank 12 at one end by which itmay be turned, and the shaft is journaled in suitable supportsin thecase 13 of the generator. In the generator are horse-shoe magnets 14,between the poles of which is arranged an armature 15 which is carriedby the shaft 11 and which therefore revolves with the shaft, and as thearmature is turned, positive and negative currents are generated so asto send impulses over the wire with -which the armature connects andimpulses will be sent at each revolution of the armature.

The sending of the impulses is accomplished by the following mechanism;-On the shaft 11 is an arm 16 which is of conducting material and whichis slotted, the two members of the arm being connected by an insulatingstrip 17 which projects slightly from the face of the arm, as shown bestin Fig. 3. Arranged adjacent to the arm and in its path are the springcontacts or terminals 18, 19 and 20, and a wire a leads from thearmature 15 to the spring terminal 18 and a wire a leads from thearmature to the terminal 20 and to the ground. The spring or terminal 20is'provided with a cross arm 21 which is arranged behind the springs orterminals 18 and 19 and which normally touches the two so as to connectthem electrically. A wire I) leads'from thespringterminal 19 andconnects with the bell magnets 22 which are arranged to ring the bell 23in .the usual manner, the details of the bell being omitted from thedrawings as they form no part of this invention. The

wire I) also connects with a contact. 24 and with one binding post ofthe receiver 25, which is of the usual kind and which connects also bymeans of a wire b with a contact 26 which is arranged beneath thecontact 24, both these contacts 24 and26 being arranged in the path ofthe movable contacts 27 on the spring terminal 19 is connected.

lever 28, which lever is fulcrumed in the case 13, as shown at 29, andprojects therefrom in the customary way, terminating at its outer end ina hook 30 which carries the receiver 25 in the usual manner. The lever28 connects with the line by means of a wire 0 and when the receiver ishung up in the hook one of the contacts 27 strikes the contact 24, thusclosing the circuit through the bell magnets 22 and this enables thebell to be sounded in sending a signal. When,however, the receiver isremoved from the hook 30, the inner end of the lever 28 is depressed byaspring 31 so as to throw one of the contacts 27 against the contact 26,thus throwing the receiver into the line and breaking the circuitthrough the bell magnets. On the shaft 11 is a worm 32 which ongages aworm wheel 33, this being journaled on a shaft 34 which is arranged atright angles to the shaft 11. The shaft 34 also carries a dial 35 whichis numbered from O to 15 in the present instance, but which may benumbered in any necessary way, and the dial turns opposite a hand orpointer 36 which is stationary. On the shaft 34 is a ratchet wheel 37which is engaged by a pawl 38 which is pivoted on the worm wheel 33 andis pressed into engagement with the ratchet wheel by a spring 39. Itwill thus be seen that when the shaft 11 is turned in one direction, itwill turn the worm wheel 33, and the pawl 38 will turn the ratchet wheeland the dial connected therewith, but when the shaft 11 is turned in theother direction, the pawl rides over the teeth of the ratchet wheel andthe dial is not moved.

In connection with each sending instrument or generator is a switchingand recording device 40, which is arranged at the central station andwhich is connected up in the manner hereinafter described.

In Figs. 8 to 10 I have shown a modified means of generating theimpulses necessary to work the system, these being produced from abattery instead of from a mechanical generator, and as here shown, aplurality of spring terminals 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 are arrangedparallel with each other and adjacentto the shaft 11, which is rotatedas above described, and also provided with the dial and its actuatingmechanism. The terminal 41 connects by a wire a with the ground, asabove specified, and the terminal or spring 45 connects by a wire I)with the bell magnets and receiver in the same way that the The springterminals 42 and 44 are double and are arranged one behind the other, soas to be separated by insulating material, and the terminal or spring 43is connected with the springs 41 and 45 by a bent cross arm 46, thecurves of which carry it around the springs 42 and 44. The two springs42 connect by wires e and a with the opposite poles of a battery E, andthe two springs 44 connect by wires .9 and s with the poles of the samebattery. The shaft 11 is provided with arms 47, 48 and 49, which areinsulated from each other and also from the shaft, and the arm 47 isadapted to strike the springs 41 and 42, the arm 48 to strike thesprings 44 and 45, and the arm 49 to strike the spring terminal 43.

The operation of the generating and sending impulses over the line is asfollows:-If the mechanical generator shown in Fig. 2 is used, theoperator, by turning the crank in one direction causes the arm 16 to beturned and make contact with the springs 18, 19 and 20. The insulation17 of the arm,beinga little in advance of the sides of the arm, willfirst strike the spring 20 and push the cross arm 21 out of contact withthe springs or terminals 18 and 19, thus disconnecting it from them.Both sides of the arm 16 will now touch the springs 18 and 19, thusconnecting them together alternately. At the same time one of the polesof the armature of the generator will send an electric impulse over theline, the current passing out from the armature through the wire a, thespring terminal 18, the arm 16, the spring terminal 19, the wire I), themagnets 22, the contact 24, the lever 28, and the wire 0. After the arm16 passes the springs, the cross arm 21 will again connect the springterminals 18 and 19 and there are no opposite impulses sent from thearmature to the line. As often as the crank 12 is turned will thearmature send electrical impulses, there being one impulse for eachrevolution of the armature. By turning the crankin the oppositedirection, the arm 16 will swing from the opposite side and will firstpush the springs 18 and 19 away from the cross arm 21, and the armaturewill now send positive impulses only, and only one impulse at eachrevolution of the crank and armature. In its normal position, thegenerator is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the signal bell magnets 22being in a line and the receiver out of circuit.

When the pole changer shown in Figs. 8 to 10 is used, the operation isas follows:When the shaft 11 is turned in one direction, the arm 49 willfirst strike the spring 43 and push the cross arm 46 out of contact withthe springs or terminals 41 and 45. Then the arm 47 will make contactwith the springs 41 and 42, thus connecting them together, and the arm48 will make contact with the spring terminals 44 and 45, connectingthem. This closes the circuit and makes an electric impulse sent to theline in one direction from the local battery. By turning the shaft inthe opposite direction, the reverse action takes place, the springs 41,42, 44 and 45 being first pushed from the cross arm 46 and an oppositeimpulse is sent over the line. At the central station is a switching andregistering device 40, previously alluded to, there being one of thesefor each sending instrument or generator, and any number may be usedalthough, as shown, four are employed, and the generators are letteredfrom A to D while the corresponding registering and switching devicesare lettered from A to D.

The registering and switching mechanism is shown best in Figs. 4 to 7,and each apparatus is provided with polarized relays 50 and 51 with amagnet 52 for operating the registering mechanism and with magnets 53and 54 which operate the switch, as described below. Near the magnet 52is a tilting armature lever 55 which is fulcrumedon a support56 andwhich is pressed by a spring 57 so as to hold the armature 58vthereonout of contact with the magnet and so as to throw one of the pawl teeth59 into engagement with a ratchet wheel 60 which is carried by a- Theimpulses shaft 61 beneath the lever. sent over the line will thereforecause the armature lever to vibrate and this will cause the pawl to act,tooth by tootl1,on the ratchet wheel so as to turn the shaft 61. Theshaft 61 has a pinion 61 thereon, which is geared to a registeringdevice 62, this beingof acornmon kind and not shown in detail, and ithas the usual dials 63 made to express units, hundreds and thousands,and they may be made to express any larger numbers if desired. Over thedials move the indicating hands 64 which are carried by the gearmechanism in the usual way. On the shaft 61 is a sliding sleeve 65 whichis slotted longitudinally, as shown at 66, and through the slot projectsa pin 67 which is secured to the shaft 61 and which therefore permitsthe sleeve to slide on the shaft, but causes it to turn with the shaft.The sleeve is provided with parallel collars 68 between which extendsthe forked end of a tilting lever 69 which projects downward from thesleeve, is fulcrumed near the center, as shown at 70, and terminates atits lower end in an armature 71 which hangs between the magnets 53 and54 and is adapted to be operated by both magnets. On the sleeve 65 is aswitcharm 72 which has a conducting face 73 thereon, this beinginsulated from the rest of the arm, and the arm is pointed at its outerend so that it may project readily between the separable springterminals 74, which are arranged circumferentially around the shaft 61and in pairs, so that eachtpair comes opposite the point of the,switcharm as the latter is turned. i;Each pair of springterminals 74 arebent sofas to touch normally, as shown at 75, and they have flaringouter ends 76, see Fig. 11, thisconstruction causing them to be normallyin contact, but enabling the switching arm to be pushed easily betweenthem. It will be observed that when the magnet 53 is energized and thearmature 71 attracted by it, the lever 69 will be tilted so as to slidethe sleeve 65 on the shaft 61 and throw the contact arm away from thespring terminals 74, but when the magnet 54 is energized, the armature71 is attracted by it and the lever 69 tilted so as to slide the sleeve65 in the opposite direction and to force it between two of the springterminals 74. The ratchet wheel and the magnetic mechanism for operatingit not only-actuates the registeringapparatus, as described, butit alsoturns the shaft 61 and'sleeve 65 so as to bring the switch arm oppositethe appropriate'spring terminals 7 4, as will appear hereinafter.

The connections are as follows:The wire c'from each generator leads toone pair of springs 74 of each switching device, except the onebelonging to its own generator, to the relays50 of its appropriateswitching'and registering device, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and it alsoconnects by means of a wire g with the conducting face 73 of the switcharm 72. From the frame of the relay 50 leads a wire it which passesthrough the magnets 53 and.

52, and from thence to-one wire '5 of a battery H, and from the armatureof the relay, leads a second wire h to the second wire 2" to the batteryH. The frame of the relay 51 connects by a wirej with the magnet 54 andwith one wire it of a local battery K, and the armature of the relay 51connects by a wire j with the return wire is of the battery K.

The operation of the system is as follows: We will suppose that A wishesto talk to 0, reference to be had to the diagram in Fig. l. A will turnthe crank 12 toward him three 'times, and this causes the dial 35 toturn to the left and the figure 3 on the dial will come up to thepointer 36. The shaft 11 will also cause the generator, either themechanical one shown in Fig. 2 or the one connected with the batteryshown in Figs. 8 to 10, to send three distinct electrical impulses, inone direction, over the line wire a and this causes the current to passfirst to one of the double springs 74 of the switch at B',thenceback andto the double spring of the switch at O, thence to the double spring ofa switch at D, and so on through all the switches if there are more ofthem and thence back to the relays 50 and 51 of the apparatus at stationA and thence to the 74 of A, but to one pair of double springs of.

all the other switches B, O and D and so, on the other hand, the wireicof station D isnot connected to any of thedouble springs 74 of itsapparatus D butJit-js connected to one pair of springs of all the otherapparatus A, B, O; The relayfiOistwound to respond to electric currentsof one: way or negative kind, although the arrangement may be reversed,and the relay responds three times to the three impulses and itsarmature closes the circuit through the wire it and the magnets 53 and52 and passes through the wires h h audit to the battery H. The sleeves65 is thus thrown to the left and out of contact with the springterminals 74 and the armature lever 55 is vibrated three times, thusturning the ratchet wheel 61 a distance of three teeth'andactuating theratchet mechanism 62 and also turning the contact or switch arm 72 so asto advance it a distance corresponding to the space between three pairsof spring terminals 74. A will'now turn his crank 12 from him severaltimes around. The dial 35 will not now beturned,

as the pawl 38 will ride over the teeth of the g to and operativeelectrical connections, substantially as described.

3. A telephone exchange system, comprising a plurality of generators orsending instruments adapted to send positive or negative impulses overthe line and a registering and switching device for each sendinginstrument, the device being connected with the sender by asingle wire,the registering and switching device comprising a registering mechanism,a ratchet Wheel geared thereto, a vibrating lever to turn the ratchetwheel, a magnet to operate the vibrating lever, a sliding sleeve mountedon the shaft of the ratchet wheel and held to turn therewith, a switcharm carried by the sleeve and having an insulated conducting face, aplurality of separable spring terminals arranged circumferentiallyaround the axis of the switch arm and adapted to contact therewith,the'terminals of one instrument being connected with those of the otherinstruments, a tilting lever to move the sleeve to and from theseparable spring terminals, magnets arranged on opposite sides of thetilting lever, one of the said magnets being in circuit with the magnetoperating the ratchet wheel, polarized relays connected with the magnetsoperating the sleeve and with local batteries, and electricalconnections between the line, the switch arm,the relays and springterminals, substantially as described.

4. In a telephone exchange system, the sending instrument comprisingagenerator adapted to generate positive or negative impulses, a tiltinglever to carry a receiver the lever having contacts on its oppositesides, stationary contacts to engage the contacts of the lever,

electrical connections between the lever and the line, a revoluble crankshaft, a spring terminal arranged adjacent to the shaft and inconnection with the generator, a second spring terminal electricallyconnected with asignaling mechanism in the generator and with thereceiver of the generatona receiver, stationary contacts arranged in thepath of the lever contacts, electrical connections between the receiver,the stationary contacts and the second spring terminal, a third springterminal arranged adjacent to the first two and provided with a crossarm to contact with the same, the third terminal being in connectionwith the generator and with the ground, and a 'revoluble contact armheld to turn against the spring terminals, the arm having a raisedinsulated surface toengage the third terminal, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, in a telephone exchange system, cf the generatorsadapted to send positive or negative impulses over the line, a slidingand revoluble switch arm connected with the line, separable springterminals arranged circumferentially around the axis of the switch armand adapted to be separated by the switch arm, a tilting armature leverfor sliding the switch arm, and magnets arranged on opposite sides ofthe lever and in connectionwith the line, the magnets be ingdifferentially wound so as to respond respectively to positive andnegative impulses, substantially as described.

JOHN SERDINKO. Witnesses: 1

R. WEBER,

O. H. DEUTSOH.

